Verity
by Griffinkhan
Summary: [Oneshot] She knew she was in trouble when the Colonel stopped brushing off difficult subjects with jokes and instead ignored them completely.


_A.N: This contains references to both the skit titled "The Past and the Present" and the Stone Monument Pilgrimage sidequest, when you pick Anise to guide Luke, so if you're confused, that's what I'm talking about.  
_

_Spoilers for the second visit to Zaleho Volcano._

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Verity

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Jade was jolted awake by something cool brushing his forehead. His eyes snapped open to find a pair of worried brown ones staring down at him. "...Anise?" he asked groggily, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. 

"Are you all right, Colonel?" the girl asked. It was her hand he had felt, he realized. She withdrew it from his forehead as soon as she saw he was awake. She was wearing her favorite frilly pink nightgown, Tokunaga clinging happily to her shoulders.

"...What?" he said. Then he noticed that he was horribly tangled in the sheets and covered in the faintest sheen of sweat. He pushed back the covers slightly and sat up, suddenly feeling very stuffy. Outside the window, moonlight shone off the sea as the Albiore flew onward towards their next destination. The reflected illumination gave the tiny lounge just enough light for the two occupants to see.

"You were... having a nightmare," Anise said, almost hesitantly. "I needed a drink of water so I was passing in the corridor, and then I saw you tossing about..."

"Ah..." said Jade, putting a hand to his forehead, his hair falling limply into his red eyes. He still seemed rather dazed.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Anise asked. She sat down gingerly on the edge of the couch he had been using as a bed, further rumpling the sheets. The Albiore had enough space that they all were able to have their own sleeping rooms, unlike in the inns they visited—but most of the party still preferred soft beds over the aircraft's hard cushions. "Your dream, I mean?"

"I... don't really remember," Jade replied, closing his eyes as he gently rubbed his temples. "What time is it, anyway?"

"A little past midnight," Anise said. "You really don't remember?" Jade was silent. "...You were mumbling 'Professor' in your sleep."

Jade continued staring at the ground for a few moments, then laughed weakly. "Was I? And I suppose it was hardly in your innocent nature to not come and make sure I was all right."

"Of course. I'm just a sweet, caring, loveable little kid." Anise grinned and leaned her head against his shoulder. "So what was the dream about?"

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" Jade asked, absently picking up his glasses from the coffee table and slipping them on.

"Nope!" Anise replied cheerfully.

He sighed. "I was just dreaming about some things from my past that I regret..."

"Things you regret? Are you talking about fomicry again?" Anise folded her arms. "We just talked about that yesterday."

"Yes, and that's probably why I had the dream, now, isn't it?" He smiled.

Anise's heart lightened somewhat. The Colonel just wasn't the Colonel without his ever-present smirk. But then her good mood dropped again as the smile slipped away and Jade's gaze went back to the floor. "It really does bother you, doesn't it," she said. "What the things you made have done..."

He shrugged. "I think it would bother anyone."

"But it's not like you to admit it," she said shrewdly.

He smiled again, all the humor gone. "I've found myself revealing a lot of things I rather would not have lately..."

She watched him for a moment. Now was as good a time as any, she supposed. The others were all asleep in the other cabins, and there was no one to disturb them. "Colonel..." she said quietly. He looked up, red eyes glimmering through the glasses at her. "I'll admit, part of the reason I was up was because I was thinking."

"Oh? And that overworked your brain so much you couldn't sleep, I take it?" Jade replied.

She ignored the jab. It was a rather mild one from him, after all. "I was thinking about what you said yesterday. About... about how you wished you could go back in time and kill yourself as a kid."

"Oh?" was all he replied.

"Did you... really mean that?" Anise asked. "Would you really rather not have been born?"

He did not answer. Anise sighed. She knew she was in trouble when the Colonel stopped brushing off difficult subjects with jokes and instead ignored them completely. "...Colonel..." she said quietly, deciding to change tack. "You said you'd been on the monument pilgrimage before, right?"

"Several times," Jade confirmed.

"Well, then you know the story on the sixth monument," she replied.

Jade sighed and recited, seeing her staring at him expectantly. "'Your betrayal was foretold in the Score. So I will not stop you. At Yulia's words, Daath trembled in fear.'"

"It's the story of Daath's betrayal, right," Anise confirmed with a nod. "Then he took his own life in atonement after he rescued Yulia."

Jade was watching her carefully, the moonlight hitting his eyes at just the right angle so they almost seemed to glow. "And why are you mentioning this now, Anise?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to be smart, Colonel, haven't you made the connection yet?" He simply blinked at her, and she shook her head. "I know you have, but I'll humor you and explain anyway. Daath is a lot like me, you know. He abandoned his duty and betrayed someone he cared about deeply. He had a reason, but in the end, it didn't come close to justifying what he did..."

"Anise," Jade began, his eyes now narrowed to slits, but she cut him off.

"Hold on, I'm not done yet," she replied. "Yes, I did consider following Daath's example—but only until everyone came to find me. You didn't leave me or outcast me from the group. You still wanted my friendship." She smiled softly. "Daath didn't have you guys. That's why he chose death. But... I realized by _not_ being here I'd hurt a lot more people than I already had."

Jade had the decency to look slightly ashamed as she rounded on him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "So don't ever talk about wanting to kill yourself, Colonel, even if it's only hypothetical or whatever," she said. "I've been thinking about this all night because I realized I didn't say the right thing to you yesterday." She continued poking him, moving closer so she could glare at him more easily. "Sure, without you we wouldn't have Ion or Luke. But what's important is that without you, there's no _you_. And that would hurt a lot more than what anything you've invented has ever done."

"So how long have you been rehearsing this, Anise?" Jade said mildly.

"Two hours on the speech, and another for the dramatic finger pointing," she replied, without missing a beat. "Well? What's your answer?"

"You have a valid point," Jade replied, shrugging.

Anise fumed. "I didn't waste my valuable sleeping time so you could say _that, _Colonel! Admit you were wrong and apologize already!"

He reached up and gently dislodged her still jabbing finger from his chest, then adjusted the bridge of his glasses. "And when have you ever known me to do either of those things?"

Anise wilted slightly. "Well... maybe that was too much to ask for," she muttered, slumping back against his side. "But..."

She blinked as a weight descended on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Jade smiling down at her, his arm now wrapped snugly around her, holding her closer to his side. "Well, I don't think either of us is going to be able to go back to sleep right now," he said conversationally. "Would you like me to make some tea?"

"Yes, please," Anise replied. He ruffled her hair and stood up, moving toward the small kitchenette across the hall that the little girl had been heading for earlier. She followed him, one arm still wrapped around his own.

He slid the door open, but paused before entering the corridor. "Oh, and by the way, Anise..."

She gave him a questioning look. "Yes, Colonel?"

His eyes softened. "Thank you... for waking me up."

She turned her face away so he could not see her vindicated grin. "Any time, Colonel, any time..."


End file.
